Ribbons in the Thicket
by kaonnette
Summary: A chuckle echoed from within the trees. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, Princess. If you give yourself up now, I promise I won't punish you... too severely." Maria has managed to escape from the de Noir castle. But she finds herself falling once again into the hands of Robin de Noir.


_**A/N Hello everyone! If you like this story (and Maria & Robin romance!) then you might like my newest multi-chapter story "In Pursuit of Moon and Mist". Check it out on my profile if you're interested and I hope you have a lovely day! :)**_

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Maria pushed her way through the thickening forest, the branches were snagging on her dress and ripping ribbons from her hair, but she had to get away. She had no idea where she was, nor which direction she had to go in order to find the Moonacre Manor. But as she forced her way through the bracken, she trusted her feet to carry her to safety.

Her fall from the de Noir castle walls had spotted her legs with purpling bruises and Maria could feel her shoes biting painfully into the arches of her feet. Slowing her pace, she came to a stop beneath a gnarled tree trunk, resting her head upon its softened moss. She considered ripping apart the bottom of her petticoat in order to create some form of bandaging for the cuts across her arms, but thought better of it. Even the stemming of blood at a time such as this was not enough to face the wrath of Miss Heliotrope.

Maria stretched out her aching legs and sighed. Her breathing was still laboured and she hadn't the strength to continue running quite yet. All of a sudden, there came the sound of heavy leather boots treading vehemently over twigs and branches. Maria barely had enough time to drive behind an overgrown honeysuckle bush before two figures, clad in black, appeared within the clearing. Maria's chest heaved, but she didn't make a sound. Silently lifting her head, she saw the tell tale hat of Robin de Noir. Maria could not help but quiver slightly at the sight of him and let out a breathless gasp when he turned, abruptly, to face the honeysuckle. She could have sworn that their eyes met for the briefest of moments, his bird-like black gaze piercing through her and his eyes dancing with mischief, leaving her unable to look away. However, Robin turned around slowly, considering the rest of the clearing before moving towards his companion.

"Check to the east, closer to the stream," he muttered, "the little witch can't have gotten far."

Robin's friend nodded swiftly and, vaulting an ashen rock, headed up an overgrown slope away from his companion. Maria heard a shuffling of leaves and the crackling of twigs, but couldn't catch a glimpse of Robin anywhere. She knew better that to risk moving around to gain a better vantage point, but the eerie silence that had fallen across the forest made her uncomfortable and desperate for escape.

A chuckle echoed from within the trees. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, Princess," Robin's detached voice reverberated darkly, "if you give yourself up now, I promise I won't punish you... too severely."

Maria felt herself shaking, she knew that even if she did stay where she was hiding, her spot would be found in an instant. But she had no way of escape, Robin was larger and much stronger than she and he knew the forest like the back of his hand. However, perhaps if she were to reach the opposite side of the clearing? If she made a dash for it, she could use her petite stature to her advantage and potentially disappear into the thicket before Robin had a chance to find her. Feeling powerless to the situation, she knew she had no other choice. Fisting her hands up nervously, she tensed her legs, before sprinting towards the leafy shrubs.

Before she had made it even half way across the muddy earth, Robin had dropped nimbly from his hiding position upon a tree branch above. His strong arms easily encircled her waist and he pulled her back towards his chest, subduing her kicking limbs effortlessly.

"Let me go, you oaf!" cried Maria desperately, wildly trying to escape his tightening grasp.

"Not likely, Princess," Robin chuckled in her ear, his hot breath tickling her neck and mingling with her panting gasps.

With a sudden, rapid movement, Robin had spun Maria around and pinned her to the trunk of a tree. Immobilising her arms with his firm fingers. A smirk was forming on his lips.

"Well, well, well!" he grinned, "I must say, I admire your optimism, thinking you could out run me!"

Maria scowled at him furiously. If looks could kill, Robin felt he would already be 50ft under the ground. His smile simply grew larger.

Maria felt like one of Robin's rabbit prey within the forest, but at least they had the dignity of death. She shuddered to think of returning to the damp and bare cell beneath the de Noir castle. Yet Robin had made no move to capture her, his eyes were fixated upon hers, his head bent down so that their faces were mere inches apart. She turned her head away as best she could.

"Aren't you going to take me back then?!" Maria said indignantly.

"Hmmm," murmured Robin, his deep voice seeming to silence every other sound in the forest, "I thought I would take the time to at least examine my catch, and didn't I say that I would punish you?"

"Wh-what are you intending to do, you brute?" Maria tried to keep her voice steady, but she felt unstable within Robin's grasp. Her heart was beating at a pace she didn't think was humanly possible and she could feel Robin's neck feathers tickling the skin around her collar bone.

Robin looked down at the petite girl between his hands. He knew he should take her immediately back up to the castle, but he couldn't seem to stand the thought of returning her to his ruthless father. She turned her head and his gaze met her own. He found himself entranced by her adamant glare and determined countenance. Surely she was witch, for he seemed utterly enraptured by her entire being.

Without a thought to the de Noirs, the Merryweathers, or any aspect of Moonacre at all, he leaned his head down to rest against Maria's. His calloused fingers came up to stroke across her cheek, removing a fleck of mud she must have accidentally caught upon her face. He brushed his hand through her long red hair, now unwoven and soft without the ribbons to hold it in place. She held her breath, unable to comprehend the situation as her heart sped up implausibly.

"Maria," he murmured huskily, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"Robin," she gasped back, remaining frozen as she felt the leather of his jacket brush across her bare arms and the curls of his hair fall across her forehead.

Their lips met, unexpectedly and perfectly. Maria was surprised to find that Robin's lips were not calloused and rough, as his hands were. Rather they were soft and smooth, immutably gentle upon her own. Without thinking, she brought her fingers up to his shoulders, steadying her frame upon his wide chest. Robin's arms came down to circle around her once again, but this time it was without aggression and he tugged tenderly at her waist, pulling her figure closer to his and denying any space between their bodies. She felt his tongue lick softly across her lower lip and gasped soundlessly. With her lips open, Robin traced his tongue across the cavern of her mouth, tasting her sweet breath and desperately tightening his grasp.

A raven cawed from a nearby branch and the pair broke apart breathlessly. Their gaze met again, but all traces of violence were gone, replaced with an inexplicable tenderness. Time seemed to take on a futile role and moments passed like years.

"Princess, you've got to... you've got to leave," murmured Robin, his voice pitched low and restricted.

"Robin, what..." Maria breathed, speaking no louder than that of a whisper.

There was a whiny of a horse in the distance and, all at once, time seemed to regain its senses. Robin turned his head brusquely. He knew that some form of a choice existed, but his decision seemed unquestionable. He grabbed Maria's hand and pulled her roughly through the undergrowth, heading towards the Moonacre Manor.

They were not far from the edge of the forest and Robin could make out the dark and formidable shadow of the Merryweather's demon hound. It seemed that there was no going back now and he turned to the girl standing at his side.

Their eyes met and his pulse quickened as he felt her soft fingers resting at his wrist. It had all gone to hell now anyway and he leaned down, placing his lips upon her forehead and giving her the sweetest and softest of kisses he was capable of.

"You'll be safe with Wrolf," he said, furtively glancing towards the shadow of the dog, "he'll take you home."

Maria stared up at the boy, as equally shocked and mesmerised by him as he was of her.

"Thank you, Robin de Noir," she said, squeezing his palm as she moved out of the forest, keeping her eyes upon his.

"I'll capture you next time, Maria Merryweather," he called teasingly, a smirk reforming on his lips.

Wrolf caught sight of his beloved Maria and raced towards the trees, yelping loudly and diving into her arms. When Maria looked back towards the forest, Robin had melted into the shadows. She felt a strange absence as she gazed into the darkness.

Wrolf whined and nuzzled at her shoulder. Looking down, Maria found a feather caught in her hair. She untangled it and held it in the moonlight, before bringing it up to her lips. She could not suppress a smile as she was guided by the wolf back towards home.

Robin watched her closely, perched within a spruce tree that lined the edge of the forest. The corners of his lips turned up further and his face broke into a grin. He did not quite understand his feelings and he knew that there was trouble ahead. However he sensed, undoubtedly, that this was the beginning of something magical.

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 _ **A/N Thank you very much for reading! I hope that you liked it and I did justice to the original story! I love both the book and film for The Little White Horse/ Secret of Moonacre and may write more Robin/Maria stories in the future!**_

 _ **Thanks again and have a nice day!**_


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